The White Album

First published in 1979, The White Album records indelibly the upheavals and aftermaths of the 1960s. Examining key events, figures, and trends of the era - including Charles Manson, the Black Panthers, and the shopping mall - through the lens of her own spiritual confusion, Joan Didion helped to define mass culture as we now understand it. Written with a commanding sureness of tone and linguistic precision, The White Album is a central example of American reportage and a classic of American autobiography.

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Publisher's Summary

First published in 1979, The White Album records indelibly the upheavals and aftermaths of the 1960s. Examining key events, figures, and trends of the era - including Charles Manson, the Black Panthers, and the shopping mall - through the lens of her own spiritual confusion, Joan Didion helped to define mass culture as we now understand it. Written with a commanding sureness of tone and linguistic precision, The White Album is a central example of American reportage and a classic of American autobiography.

What the Critics Say

"All of the essays manifest not only [Didion's] intelligence but an instinct for details that continue to emit pulsations in the reader's memory and a style that is spare, subtly musical in its phrasing and exact. Add to these her highly vulnerable sense of herself, and the result is a voice like no other in contemporary journalism." (The New York Times Book Review)

This being my first Didion I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I of course know of Ms. Didion's acclaim and her style of writing.

This potent little collection of essays is as diverse as it is evocative. Every fan of Los Angeles will find something here to savor.

Narrator, Susan Varon is perfect at conjuring up tone and feeling of the 1960s and 1970s. I truly felt as if Ms. Didion were seated with me recalling her meeting The Doors and her lust for greenhouses. Varon was that great. Ms. Varon should read more!

I look forward to more of Ms. Didion and MUCH MUCH more from Ms. Varon.

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